Why Kenneth Eng Will Never Get It

In my mind, the day stands out clearly.

A couple years ago, I was sitting in my apartment with my friend Hae, browsing through articles on my laptop while watching anime reruns and chowing down on Popeye's fried chicken. An article I skimmed made me laugh out loud, particularly considering the circumstances I found myself in.

The article had the suspect title of "Fried Chicken and Kimchi: Black and Korean Leaders Sit Down to Discuss Their Communities." The article described how a small set of Korean community leaders (mostly pastors, if memory serves) and African - American leaders (again, pastors) sat down to a community barbecue to discuss how to work together more effectively. Searching the LookSmart Archives and Washington Post Archives today, I find no trace of the article. However, that article, with that title, had to have existed somewhere. I remember it precisely because its existence sparked an interesting exchange.

"Hae," I started, interrupting her mission to demolish her mashed potatoes, "Why don't Korean people like black people?" The question was tossed out somewhat ironically, because Hae is Korean (generation 1.5 to be exact) and I am African-American (or black to be more precise, since I have not traced where exactly I came from.)

"Huh?" Hae looked up from her food with a dazed expression.

I repeated the question.

"Oh, well...I dunno. I'm fine with black people. The only people I hear of that don't like black people are my friend's parents, and that's because they have a store in the inner city."

Hmm...Hae probably had a point. After all, if the question was reversed, I would probably have the same answer. For the most part, I have co-existed pretty peacefully with Asian people in my 23 years on earth. No real incidents of note, no real animosity - particularly not against an entire group of people.

So, when I first heard about Kenneth Eng's little rant "Why I Hate Blacks" (check the above referenced link) it got one skeptical eyebrow raise. Kenneth Eng's logic is questionable, at best. Citing a high school debate, where you are supposed to argue both sides of a point and using it as proof that black people "don't get it."? Yeah, real credible source Ken. Good job.

That mess aside, I must admit I was heartened by the quick response from the pan-Asian community. Before I could even finish reading the text of the article, I was quickly directed to angry blog postings and online petitions all saying the same basic thing: Asians wanted no part of that racist mess.

The aftermath of the discussions however, bring up a sore spot in both communities - why don't blacks and asians get along? A few posters referred to poor communication between the two groups, and others have gone even further to suggest that African-Americans are equally as guilty of spouting racist speech toward Asians.

As one commenter stated:

"All we do is have blacks bitching about Asians to other blacks and we have Asians bitching about blacks to other Asians."

Somehow, I doubt that.

I don't doubt that African-Americans have said a lot of ignorant things to Asian people directly and about Asian people as a whole (most famously, Ice Cube's rant on his album Amerikkka's Most Wanted). It's one of the reasons I posted Beau Sia's response to Rosie O'Donell on my hip-hop blog: maybe it will make someone else think before they joke around in that manner.

But I am not sure that the tension that once existed between blacks and asians is still as prevalent as people make it seem. One reason is that asian people and black people interact a lot more than before. When I was in middle school and high school, I came into regular contact with Asian kids in my classes. Through my friends how I learned how to pronounce "Nguyen" properly, that Asian grocery stores had cooler candy and school supplies, and what real Asian food tastes like. I still can't eat carry-out Chinese food.

I suppose I could have held on to my one questionable impression of Asian people - when a kid in 4th grade called Black History month "Hershey history" and I stomped on his foot. But again, after that incident, that was it. I believe we were friends again the next day, splitting an Oatmeal Pie and making faces through the cream.

Do black people need to publicly apologize when one of our major figures (or even minor, in this case) says something ignorant about Asian people? Hell yeah. The whole "black people can't be racist" argument does not hold water with me. And the next time I come across something like that I remember to blog about it and do my part in raising hell until they rescind their racist statements.

Still, I feel like the increasing globalization of our society is actually benefiting cross cultural relations. Hae and I did not become friends because she is Korean and I am black. We became friends out of a mutual love of video games, food, and anime. As our friendship grew, she introduced me more to her culture, and I introduced her to mine. She gave me Korean hip-hop, I explained basic American politics. And our friendship moves on.

Maybe, just maybe, if Kenneth Eng spent less time in his house and more time out in the world, he would make more friends (maybe even some black friends) and realize that you can't judge an entire group of people based on the selected actions of a few.